Oliver’s Score: 5 Stars
There are very few shows which one might be able to call, perfect. Last night’s performance of “Billy Elliot” is is one of those few triumphs which dazzle and move the audience in a true spectacle of stage, music, and theatre. Every aspect of the production, from the stage direction, to company singing, to the choreography, sprung flawlessly from the stage, erupting the audience in a frenzy of delight and unstoppable energy.
Jamie Rogers, acting as the opening Night’s Billy, blew the entire crowd away with his energy and stage presence. Commanding attention from his first entrance and stunning the audience with his effortless skill as a dancer throughout. With a role as demanding as Billy Elliot, Jamie soared from beginning to end with an infectious energy that drove the entire show. His characterisation of Billy through moments of sadness and grief with his deceased mother, to the triumph of his audition with “Electricity” proves Jamie to be in every sense of the word a triple threat. He gave honesty and weight to the young Billy’s emotional expression.
Kelly Abbey’s powerhouse performance as Mrs Wilkinson commands the stage as she displays her amazing ability in choreography and singing. Flipping from comedic to dramatic acting within scenes with ease. Abbey fully portrays the supportive ballet teacher, giving a perfect accompaniment to the young Billy, allowing him to shine. Justin Smith and Drew Livingston, as Billy’s dad and elder brother respectively, give the central antagonising point a truthfulness and honesty. It is also their performance as striking miners which gave the show its historical backdrop of 1980’s England to propel the stories frustration and ethos to the audience allowing them to get a sense of the periods perceptions and ideals of identity and expectations which are fought against by the titular character. Robert Grubb, Billy’s stern boxing coach, and the rest of the Adult cast join together to create a backdrop of heated social and class tensions, which combat with Billy’s vision and dream.
A special mention must be given to Vivien Davies as Billy’s strange yet loving Grandmother, who in her solo song, brilliantly tugged at the strings of emotion while exploring the life’s memories of a woman looking back at youth and her life’s regrets. Also Billy’s close friend Michael, played by James Sonnemann, who’s character offers a comedic offset to the serious themes, and who’s song “Expressing Yourself” is a fun romp in the aim of true self-expression and individuality. The entire chorus are spectacular to watch in any moment, and even the young dancers never cease to wow the audience with their talent and skill.
Being a show centred around dance, the choreography shines as a unique expression of the shows theme. Watching Billy develop from a beginner to a full ballet star, we experience the passion and power that it has in his life. The amazing coordinated routines, all seamless and flawless, build the story to its full potential as a unique theatrical experience.
The new set designs, which will allow the show to tour other cities of Australia for the first time, are one of the shows greatest strengths. With changes of sets coming from the side of the stage, and elements of locations able to be slide out in different components giving the entire set an elegant simplicity and allowed the action to continue to flow organically around it. One particular set highlight is the Christmas pageant, “Merry Christmas Margaret Thatcher”. It is a wonderful spectacle of cheeky political humour within the setting of the period’s miner’s strike and anti Tory sentiment.
The tireless work of Simon Pollard, associate director, and Tom Hodgson, associate choreographer, and the entire technical and production crew have truly made a masterful triumph in musical theatre. Billy Elliot is the perfect musical to see. It is a stand for self-expression and identity, and to always to embrace what it is to truly be yourself. It offers everything from uproarious laughter, to tearful emotion. It is guaranteed to have you on your feet at the bows and dancing out of the theatre with the songs in your head.
Oliver Morassut, Theatre Now
Photos: James D. Morgan
10 Oct – 15 Dec 2019
Venue: Sydney Lyric Theatre
Ticket Prices:
Standard $79 – $224
plus booking fee
Wed 7pm
Thur – Sat 7:30pm
Sun 6:30pm
Matinees: Wed & Sat 1pm, Sun 2pm
Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn, Sally Greene, Louise Withers, Michael Coppel & Linda Bewick
Executive Producers: Angela Morrison and David Furnish
Executive Producer Australia: Philippa Gowen
By based on the 2000 film of the same name. The music is by Elton John, and the book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film’s screenplay
Featuring music by the legendary Elton John, Billy Elliot the Musical is an extraordinary theatrical experience that has captivated audiences around the world. Seen by over 12 million people worldwide and acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, Billy Elliot is the recipient of over 85 awards internationally.
Following its spectacular first tour in Australia, the 10th Anniversary Tour of Billy Elliot arrives in Sydney this October for a strictly limited 10 week season. Billy is directed by the award-winning Stephen Daldry, with book and lyrics by Lee Hall and choreography by Peter Darling.
Set in a northern town during the miners’ strike of 1984/5, the show follows Billy’s journey from boxing ring to ballet class where he discovers a passion for dance that unites his family, inspires his community and changes his life forever.
See our interviews and photos from rehearsal here
